U.S. Midterm Mail Voting Begins Amid Legal Battle Over Trump Restrictions

The US midterm election season entered a new phase as North Carolina began sending mail ballots to voters, while a federal court blocked the Trump administration from implementing new restrictions on mail voting.

Election officials are preparing mail ballots in North Carolina as legal challenges continue over new federal voting requirements.

The November 3 election will determine control of the US Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term. North Carolina became the first state to broadly distribute mail ballots for the 2026 midterm elections.

The timing has created uncertainty for election officials and voters because the administration is seeking to impose new requirements on how mail ballots are processed.

US District Judge Indira Talwani on Friday issued a preliminary injunction preventing the US Postal Service from implementing the Trump administration's new mail-voting requirements during the midterms.

The ruling replaced a temporary order she had issued earlier.

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to lift Talwani's earlier order and is expected to challenge the latest ruling as well.

The administration's executive order directed the Postal Service to develop new procedures involving ballot design, voter verification and the transmission of ballots.

Election officials and voting-rights groups have argued that implementing major changes so close to an election could disrupt established procedures.

The dispute has also raised concerns about Postal Service changes and their potential effect on ballot processing.

Election officials have warned that last-minute changes could increase the risk of ballots being rejected or delayed.

North Carolina law requires county election boards to begin mailing requested absentee ballots 60 days before the Nov. 3 election, making Sept. 4 the statutory starting date for this year's midterms.